Vancouver Foundation and Carnegie Centre support
local artists
The Downtown Eastside is normally a hotbed of artistic activity. But this fall, it
will be even busier, as Vancouver Foundation and the Carnegie Community Centre
have announced the first round of successful applicants in a pilot program called
“DTES Small Arts Grants.”
The program is intended for artists who demonstrate a history of original art
practice, and show a vital engagement with the DTES community. Funded by a
grant of $100,000 from Vancouver Foundation, DTES Small Arts Grants has awarded
almost $30,000 in the first of two rounds.
Of the more than 100 artists who applied to the program, 31 were chosen by a
community advisory committee to receive grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 to
showcase their talent and help take their careers to the next level.
The funded projects represent a broad spectrum of artwork: Daniel McRorie will
recreate the children’s story The Velveteen Rabbit on six large panels of leather,
in Braille; Milisa Gardy will create three photo books that celebrate the diversity
of families in Strathcona; and Robi Smith will create a series of “superhero”
paintings, and trading cards, using ordinary people in the DTES. Other successful
applications include a video, a traffic installation, website creation, a graphic
novel, and performance art. The work must be presented publicly by November
30, 2009.
“Our staff identified a gap in community development for individual artists,” says
Faye Wightman, CEO of Vancouver Foundation. “They can’t apply to us for grants
as individuals. By partnering with Carnegie, we were able to offer support directly.
And the DTES seemed like a great location for the pilot program because of the
number of low-income artists practicing in the area.”
Vancouver Foundation will start accepting applications for the second round of
small arts grants, through Carnegie Community Centre, on August 28, 2009.
For more information about the DTES Small Arts Grants Program, contact
Meriko Kubota at merikok@vancouverfoundation.ca or 604.688.2204.
With more than 1,200 funds, and assets of $662 million, Vancouver Foundation is
Canada’s largest community foundation. In 2008, Vancouver Foundation
distributed $60 million through 3,331 grants to communities and innovative
projects across British Columbia.
For more information:
Paul Heraty, Vancouver Foundation Communications
604.688.2204